Classroom observation

During my observation of Mrs . Elliot 's classroom , I noticed extensive use of well-established classroom procedures and classroom management plans . I also observed positive student /teacher relationships , which were reinforced through both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards

I was immediately impressed upon entering Mrs . Elliot 's classroom . It was apparent that all of her students understood the procedures of the classroom and that Mrs . Elliot 's expectations had been clearly communicated . Each student worked diligently at his or her assigned task and appeared to be aware of what he or she was expected

to do upon completion of the assignment . At the same time , Mrs . Elliot made herself easily available to her students and circled the classroom multiple times to ensure students understood concepts and to answer questions the students might have

While observing Mrs . Elliot 's classroom , it was clear that she had developed a positive relationship with her students . Her easygoing manner seemed to make the students feel at ease . Yet , she maintained high expectations for all of her students and set clear boundaries between herself and her students . She did not appear to be caught in the trap of wanting to be friends ' with her students . Instead , she commanded respect and gave it in return

I thought Mrs . Elliot 's manner of classroom management was particularly interesting . She focused on those students who were doing what they were supposed to be doing rather than on those who were not . For example , a student who accurately followed her directions received praise and recognition from Mrs . Elliot . She also used this system to help extinguish undesirable behavior . During my visit , one student began talking out loud without permission . Mrs . Elliot reminded the student to raise his hand first , and then praised the rest of the students for staying quiet and for ignoring the other student 's outburst . This technique seemed to encourage the other students to remain quite because they wanted to gain additional recognition from Mrs . Elliot

Mrs . Elliot also utilized a token ' system . With her token system she rewarded students with fictitious tokens for performing desirable tasks . Although the students did not actually receive a physical object representing the token , Mrs . Elliot kept track of the tokens for the students . At the end of each day , she told me she posts how many tokens each student earned for the day . The students have their own checkbooks in which they can deposit their tokens . They also have checks , which they use to purchase certain privileges and other goodies provided by Mrs . Elliot . I thought this system was great because it was a great classroom management tool and it also taught students the valuable skill of keeping , using , and maintaining a checkbook

During my observation , I witnessed Mrs . Elliot utilize both extrinsic and intrinsic motivational techniques . This combination appeared to work quite well in her classroom , as all students were actively engaged in learning and seemed to fully understand classroom expectations ...